Motor-operated valve



Sept. 30, 1930.

` T. M. BRUBACK ET AL MOTOR OPERATED VALVE Filed June 29, -1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 By forneys,

sept. 3o, 1930, 1M BRUBACK E-rAL 1,777,115

MOTOR OPERATED VALVE Filed June 29, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR'S: sodaregw 'Mecv-M fr By Attorneys,

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Patented Sept. 30, 193() l UNITED STATES PATENT ,ori-ICE l{IJBEODORE} '.MI. BRU'BACK AND DE LOS E. HIBNER, JR., 0F DU BOIS, PIENNSYLVANIA- Moron-OPERATED vALvE p Application led June 29,

According to the present invention, the

requisite gearing down from a high speed motor to the low speed at which the valve should be operated, is eected through differential gearing. The valve is provided 1o with an automatically-operated switch for ings, wherein,-

closing the circuit atthe end of the operation of the valve, and at the same time reversing the current so as to prepare for the next contrary operation.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying draw- Figure 1 is a vertical mid-section of the valve as a whole.

Fig. 2 is a half elevationand half vertical mid-section vcut in a plane at right angles to the plane of Fig.v 1. y,

Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating the switch and motor connections,v

The valve shown is of the tappet valve type, although the invention is notnecessarily limited to ``any particular type of valve. The valve has any conventional shell or casing A, with inlet and outlet ports aa and an intervening seat b against which closes a tappet orvalve disk B mounted on a stem C which mayr slide up or down. Above the valve shell A is a frame D conveniently made in two parts, the upper part being letteredD. The lower part D serves as a cap for the valve shell A; The parts D D constitute la ixedhfranie.' Above the upper part D of the,- rame `is a .casing'fE Vclosed rat'the topi byla cap E. ,ThefpartsEEconstitute a ,movableior floating frame, as lwillbe de,

scrihedlater. YT he valve stem G-.is shown as passing out from the valve chamber-through a lstufli1ig..boxc,,and is' fitted at its ,top .':With

a" swivel connection .FJ kwhich, it is united I tothe 'lowerend 'cfa screwv spindle Gr which.

Imsse'sup intol andE through the casing E and is swiveled y"atthe top bfffthis, casing to a ysliding crosshead H.

- The motor Mfis 'shownasinounted beneath' the casi-ng E, yand its ,'shaft-mv-projectsyup 1927. Serial N0. 202,370.

into or through the casing E and carries a pinion d which meshes with the teeth of two dii'erential gears J and K which are enclosed within vthe chamber formed by the casing E. The gear J is provided with a feather e engaging a key-way in the screw spindle G, so that the screw spindle is splined to the gear J so that it may rise lor fall therein. The gear K is keyed to a nut L, the internal threads of which engage the screwthreads of the screw spindle Gr. The gears J and K, have dierent numbers of teeth, so that while both are driven at suit'- ably high speed by the motor pinion, their relative rotation is slow. For example, the gear J may have teeth, and the gear K, 62 teeth; if the pinion d has nine teeth and the motor turns at 1800 R. P. M.,`the difference between the revolutions of gears J and K will be 12 revolutions per minute; and if the pitch of the screw G is tourl threads per inch and the travel of the valve disk B is one inch, it will be fully opened or closed in twenty seconds. These proportions are given merely by way of example. The swivel connection F is introduced bef tween the rapidly-rotating screw G and the valve stem C in order that the latter need not rotate, or may rotate at a much slower speed than the screw. With the proportions given above the screw would turn at 249.5 R. P. M., a speed`which it would be impracticable to transmit to the valve stem. The swivel is made rictionless by the interposition of ball bearings between its members g, la, z', Which rare connected-V respectively to they stem. C1 and screwy Gr.I The swivel' is readily, accessible within the opening of the frameD D', f l l The nut L, which also turnsl athigh speedI-` (with ythe proportions given, at. a speed of E 261.5 R, P. M.) is also mounted ,in ballV bearingsj, 7p, which are housed within` a lower projecting .portion E, of thefcasing E Y fits withinachamber D .in the upper'por-` tion of ,the frame D. l. i l f v.

Anfelectriccontrol Switch A'is opervtted.y byL the rising and falling movements of the, screw spindle G,`which'are transmitted to l it'thro'ugh'the crossheiad H. This crosshead '4 is mounted on the top of the screw by means of a swivel connection Z having ball bearings, whereby it is adapted to the high speed of rotation of the Screw stem. The crosshead H slides on fixed guiding pins n n, and is connected by a link o to the operating lever p of the switch P. The switch is of' any suitable type, being preferably a snap Switch of well-known construction which stores up energy during its movement and throws over to the open o'r closed position at the end of the movement. Such switches are so well known that no special illustration is necessary. The electrical connections may be made as shown in Fig. 3, where P is the switch and M is the motor, 71, r', being circuit leads from any source of current; g is a hand control switch located at any suitable distance, and from which the valve is to be operated to open 0r close it by throwin the switch. Between switch g and motor L the circuit connection 1' is divided into two leads 11 and 12 which may connect with different windings of the motor, so that when the current passes in through 11, the motor will be driven in one direction (as to open the switch), and when passed through l2 the motor will be ydriven in the contrary direction (as to close the switch). The function of the switch P is solely to break the circuit and stop the motor when the valve has fully opened or closed. This switch accordingly may consist essentially of a bridge connection s which in one position may connect terminals 13 and 14 of lead 11, and in its other position may conneet terminals 15 and 16 of lead 12. In-its snap action the bridge s simply flies across from one pair of terminals to the other.

T o stop the motor when opening the valve requires only that the circuit be broken before the valve has quite reached the end of its stroke; but during the closing stroke of the valve it is important that it shall move to the fully closed position, and it is preferable that it shall move slightly farther under such conditions as to press the valve to its seat with a suitable yielding pressure. To accomplish this, spring cushioning means are applied, which, when the valve seats itself, take up any further movement of the valve-operating parts and consequently afford a means for pressing the valve to its seat with a pressure corresponding to the stress imparted to the springs. Such springs may be variously applied; in the construc- "tion' shown springs S S are interposed between ears t projecting from the frame D', and nuts or bolt heads u u connected through bolts or screw rods to the casing E. It results that during the closing movement of the valve, when the valve isstopped by striking its seat, the continued movement of the motor before the switch P breaks the circuit imparts a bodily lift through the nut L to the casing E, and through the bolts and heads u compresses the springs. To provide for this movement the casing E has a sliding connection with the frame D, so that the casing E may lift as a movable or floating frame. This is shown as provided by the annular flange E being movable in the fixed cup D. The springs S may be proportioned and adjusted to exert any desired pressure for forcing the valve against its seat at the end of the movement. The duration of the movement may be adjusted in various ways, as, for example, by making the link 0 (Fig. 2) extensible by means of a screw stem o.

The described construction affords an electrically-operated valve which may be controlled from any suitable distance, and which may be adjusted to give closure at any desired pressure. The construction is simple and effective. and the differential gearing affords a simple and advantageous means 'for reducing the high speed of the motor to the desired slow speed for the valve operation.

lVhat we claim is:

1. A valve and motor with connecting means comprising a pinion driven by the motor and differential gears meshing with said pinion, said gears having different num bers of teeth whereby they are rotated at different speeds, a screw turned by one of said gears, a nut engaging the screw and turned by the other gear, and means for transmitting the relative movement of the screw and nut to the valve.

2. A valve and motor with connecting means comprising a pinion driven by the motor and differential gears meshing with said pinion, said gears having different numbers of teeth whereby they are rotated at different speeds, a screw turned by one of said l gears, a nut engaging the screw and turned by the other gear, and a connection between the screw and valve whereby the longitudinal movement of the screw is transmitted to the valve.

3. A valve and motor -with connecting means comprising a pinion driven by the motor and differential gears meshing with said pinion, said gears having different numbers of teeth whereby they are rotated at different speeds, a screw turned by one of said gears,'a nut engaging .the screwand turned by the other gear, and a swivel connection between the screw and valve adapted to transmit to the valve the longitudinal movement of the screw.

4. The device of claim 3 with a switch in the motor circuit, and a swivel connection to operate said switch from the rotating screw.

5. A v alve and motor according to claim 2, with bearing means receiving the reaction of said nut when the valve is seated, movable Ythereby reacting against the yielding means adapted to resist such movement so as to be stressed when the valve is closed.

6.. A valve and motor with interposed reduclng gearing, a frame having fixed connection with the valve casing, a oating frame movable relatively to the fixed frame, the valve stem having threads,

' floating frame, and a spring stressing the oating frame, whereby upon the seating of the valve the floating frame is displaced against the stress of the spring.

7. A valve according to claim 6, the gearing carried by said oating frame.

8. A valve according to claim 6, the gearing and the motor carried by said oating frame.

9. A valve according to claim 6, and a switch for'stopping the motor, operated by the movements of the loating frame.

10. A valve having a fixed frame and a movable frame, the latter guided to move relatively to the former, a motor and reducing gearing for operating the valve, said gearing carried in the movable frame, and a spring adapted to be stressed as the valve is closed,

Aforming a resilient connection between the frames. s Y n 11. A valver having a fixed frame and a movable frame, the latter guided to move relatively to the former, and having a chamber, a motor and reducing gearing, said gearing enclosed in said chamber, a valve stem operated by `said gearing, and a spring connection between said frames arranged to yieldingly react to the closing movement of the movable frame, whereby it is stressed after the valve is closed.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto signed our names.

THEODORE M. BRUBACK. DE LOS E. HIBNER, JR.

a nut engaged j 

